Only one host on SEC Network has the courage to speak the truth in preseason power rankings

Texas A&M is currently coming into the season just a little bit underrated when it comes to the way they are viewed by media types around the country. The Aggies have had a stellar fall camp, from all indications, and they are packing a dangerous defense to go along with an offense that may be able to exceed the breakout we saw last year, thanks to guys like Isaiah Horton, Marcel Reed, and Jamarion Morrow.

Not everyone has caught up with that quite yet, though. There's still quite a bit of sentiment around the country that, thanks to lost snaps or a more difficult schedule, A&M is in for a step back this year.

This comes along with the yearly surge in optimism from the media surrounding the team down in Austin. The bellwethers for these two teams have actually been diametrically opposed over the last few weeks— but only a few people, even among the SEC Network hosts, have been paying attention and are willing to tell it like it is.

SEC Network's Chris Doering does the right thing with A&M and Texas placements on power rankings

Here are the preseason power rankings from the four SEC Network hosts: Dari Nowkhah, Alyssa Lang, Chris Doering, and Benjamin Watson.

Doering's are the rankings that make the most sense, straight-up. While all four hosts rank Georgia at the top, the other three all far overrate the Texas Longhorns in their ranking, while simultaneously underrating the Aggies (though Benjamin Watson has a case for A&M around five or so).

Especially given the vast quantity of reports that have come out recently regarding a completely lackluster camp from Arch Manning— not to mention growing concerns about the worrying lack of depth on the Texas roster— there's no excuse to have the Longhorns as a top-five team in the conference right now. Doering clearly recognizes that, and he put the Longhorns right where I put them in my rankings a few weeks back: down at sixth.

I also have Alabama at fifth, like Doering, but was borderline on Oklahoma and Texas A&M at the three and four spots— he flip-flops them from the order I had them in. He is also (interestingly) very high on Vanderbilt, which not a lot of people are coming into the year.

The main point is this: the Aggies are one of the deepest teams in the conference. There's some talent to replace in some key areas— offensive and defensive line chief among them— but the work from the transfer portal shows the discerning fan that that concern should be relatively minor.

The coaching is there, the seniority at quarterback is there, the offensive and defensive weapons are all there— there's a reason that the Aggies ranked so shockingly high on the returning production metrics, despite having ten players drafted. This is a team that smart fans will be buying stock in— though it may take the nation a few weeks to understand just how prodigious the chances actually are for the Aggies.

Doering sees the vision, though— and, likewise, he understands that the Longhorns are currently being way oversold. There are some concerning signs manifesting down in Austin, no doubt about it— and it's only a matter of time until the other shoe drops.

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